arc lamp

Thân thiện

The scientist adjusts the bright arc lamp in the laboratory.

Definition

Noun: A lamp that produces light by creating an electric arc between two electrodes. An electric arc is a sustained electrical discharge that generates intense light and heat as current flows through a gap in a circuit or between two conductive points.

Usage

The term "arc lamp" refers specifically to the complete lighting device or system that operates on the principle of an electric arc. It is used to describe a historical or technical type of illuminant.

Examples: * Early movie projectors often used a powerful arc lamp as their light source. * The invention of the arc lamp in the 19th century provided the first form of electric street lighting. * For that experimental setup, we need the intense, focused light that only an arc lamp can produce.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Context: In physics and engineering, an "arc lamp" is analyzed for its spectral output, efficiency, and the plasma properties of its arc.
  • The spectrometer was calibrated using the known emission lines from a carbon arc lamp.
• Historical Context: The term is often used when discussing the history of technology and illumination.
  • The 1878 Paris Exposition was famously illuminated by Yablochkov arc lamps, known as "electric candles".

Variants and Related Words

• Arc light: A common synonym for "arc lamp," often used interchangeably. It can also refer specifically to the light produced by such a lamp.
• Carbon-arc lamp: A specific type of arc lamp where the electrodes are made of carbon, which vaporizes as it burns.
• Xenon arc lamp: A modern type of arc lamp that uses xenon gas to produce a very bright, white light, commonly used in projectors and searchlights.

Synonyms

• Arc light
• Electric arc lamp

Related Technical Terms

• Electric arc: The core phenomenon—the luminous electrical discharge—that gives the lamp its name.
• Electrode: One of the two terminals (often made of carbon or metal) between which the arc forms.
• Ballast: A device required to limit the current flowing through an arc lamp to prevent it from destroying itself.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a lamp that produces light when electric current flows across the gap between two electrodes

Từ đồng nghĩa

• arc light